I transferred from the University of South Carolina, being one of 40,000 students. I felt like just another student – more or less a number. I began to realize that I wanted more of a personalized experience where I felt valued for what I’m capable of doing. I also wanted a school that was invested in what I’m capable of learning and producing with my music. The way the class scheduled worked at USC, I wasn’t going to get that opportunity as both a singer and instrumentalist. I began to look at universities that would be flexible enough to take me on as both a choral singer and vocalist, but also an instrumentalist (oboist) – and Furman was definitely first on that list.

I visited and was greeted by everyone I met that day. All of the professors knew who I was before I arrived and made it a point to say hello and that they were hoping I would come to Furman. I did a few trial lessons with professors I was interested in working with and they showed a genuine interest in my ability. They knew about my desire to pursue both areas of music and were supportive of that and willing to work out my schedule and major requirements that would be compatible for what it was that I wanted to do. That was one of the most unique things that I’ve ever experienced during my college search process.

I didn’t just apply to one school knowing I wanted to transfer there; I applied to four other schools. With all of the schools I visited, the individual care and commitment demonstrated by Furman was not the case. It was a no-brainer to go from feeling like a number to a valued person, student and musician. But also, it opened up a huge amount of opportunities to continue developing both sides of what it is that I do as a musician.